


The lights in their eyes

by LinaLuthor



Series: Stars in the night sky [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Blue Lions Route, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Hurt No Comfort, Multi, Polyamory, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29115447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLuthor/pseuds/LinaLuthor
Summary: When she was sent to Fódlan and the Officers Academy, Petra thought that she would never find or feel at home again. Until Edelgard and Dorothea show her that things didn't have to be like that.After years pass and the Kingdom army approaches the palace, Petra reflects on their relationship and what it could mean that Edelgard has been distant for the last few months.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg/Petra Macneary, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/Petra Macneary
Series: Stars in the night sky [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085051
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	The lights in their eyes

The sea had always been her anchor, a friend she could rely on. Yet there was no ocean that could be seen within or around the Oghma mountains, none other than the sea of clouds against the sky.

Petra had been disoriented when she got to the Empire a few months before being sent to the Officers Academy by Duke Gerth. Losing her father at age eleven due to dangerous games played by adults had been one of her first brushes with the sensation of not belonging anywhere in particular, since her own homeland became a stranger to her after it was submitted to the Empire.

The second time she was filled with such a feeling was when the sea that had been her second home was taken away from her and substituted by mountains and cliffs, by forests that were nothing like the ones back at Brigid and constellations that were alien to her once she cast her eyes to the night sky and realized things were different even up there. 

That everything which had given her a sense of direction and grounding was gone and she was left floating in an ocean of doubt, of unfamiliarity and odd stares sent her way due to her speech, her behavior, her creed and who she was, who she had been meant to be.

The title of princess meant nothing in a land where three governments were weakened in their own ways and the church seemed to rule supreme.

It had been an uneasy, unwanted trip from the archipelago that she loved to the continent that she feared, the place that had changed her life so thoroughly without any care to what her own wishes were. Having to spend some months at Duke Gerth’s impressive manor was of little to no help, the stretches of green fields making her miss the horizons of blue sea that had surrounded her life and her past and the sweet memories which cradled her to sleep in those hostile lands. 

Soon she realized that if she ran into the nearest forest--which wasn’t that close to the mansion but running was a welcome respite to the decorum that the Imperial families always expected from her--and climbed into the tallest treetops, then craned her head just the right way… She would be able to see blue shining back at her, a spot of sea reflecting the sunlight, granting her some hope and a breath of fresh air. 

Granting her the idea that she would be fine, that she would survive that year away from Brigid and later return to the oceans that called to her, the flowers which dotted some of the islands in tones of purple and red, yellow and blue. To the carefree days of her youth that had been swept away by the wills of those who sought to keep her close, to make sure Brigid wouldn’t try anything else again no matter why.

The fact that there was still a chance she would be required to stay in Fódlan even after her stay at Garreg Mach was done and probably marry an Imperial noble to solidify their alliance was never far away from her mind, though she knew better than to dwell on such issues when there were so many other, more pressing ones to solve.

She learned the language without qualms, taking a pile of books to her safe space at the treetops early in the morning and returning at night with questions that she would ask to the private tutor that had been assigned to her. The man was kind enough to understand her predicament and let her roam freely, study as she saw fit and consult him from time to time and only if she needed to, though the Gerths had almost told him to change his methods to a more traditional approach once they figured out what was happening. 

Yet the minute they saw Petra writing with little to no mistakes and more grammatical accuracy than most of the house members could manage in their own language, they had no reason to justify a need to keep her indoors. In the end she began seeing the tutor as a kind soul, one of the few that hadn’t frowned at her and deemed her less just because of where she had come from, of who she was. Of who she wasn’t, but according to Fódlan’s standards should aspire to be or become. 

That was the second breath of fresh air that Petra had gotten before she was taken to the Officers Academy.

Although the year was ending and as a result temperatures had dropped in a way that Petra had never experienced before, she longed for the times in which she would be allowed out of the fancy wagon that had transported her to the Oghma mountain. The trip proved to be long, boring and cramped no matter how many books she had taken with her in order to improve her reading comprehension and overall knowledge of Fódlan history. 

She was a free spirit that wished for the outdoors even if something about it could harm her, the conditions somewhat hostile when compared to what she was used to in her beloved Brigid. But being inside a vehicle instead of rushing alongside the horses, feeling the breeze on her face and the strain of muscle as it pushed against the floor, against the hardship and the heartache that she longed to leave behind was sheer torture, way worse than the fact that her own homeland was usually just mentioned in the history books she was forced to devour.

Way worse than the fact that she had no power to determine her own future right then and there, even if there was nothing she wanted more than to do just that.

She was cordial to the other students that surrounded her and asked questions about her, about her traditions and beliefs the second her arrival was announced at the Officers Academy. Petra Macneary, princess of Brigid, the guard had said to the multitude of pupils and families that were waiting for others in the entrance hall.

Petra Macneary, princess of a vassal state. Petra Macneary, a stranger in the nest of their beloved Fódlan.

Petra Macneary, who received a dazzling smile from a tall girl that identified herself as Dorothea Arnault, one that told her not to mind the stares she was receiving and oh, was she hungry? Would she care to get some food in the dining hall instead of watching that pity party with the damn nobles?

Those words had an instant effect on her, lighting up the night and the welcoming festivities way more than all of the candles which were lit around the room, around the ceiling and the paths that took the two women to the kitchen while another one watched. 

As Petra felt her third breath of fresh air and was able to smile for the first time in what seemed like forever while Dorothea talked about the school and life in general, a third girl watched them with a kind look on her lilac eyes. A kind look that toughened once reality settled in and she was reminded of the decorum she was supposed to keep at all moments. 

The decorum that was required of future Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg, the secrets that she had to bury within the undergrounds of her mind.

* * *

The mountains had been imposing and somewhat scary from a distance, the way they seemed to isolate the monastery from the rest of the continent and the sea that Petra loved making her heart constrict, beat heavily within her chest. If from Gerth she had been able to run, climb and cast her gaze into the horizon to perceive a piece of the lovely ocean that called to her, this time there was no distance she could cover, no trees or mountains she could perch on that would allow her the same respite. 

No, there was nothing but stretches of lands, stretches of walls and rocks and beliefs etched into stained glass windows and books lying on shelves. There was nothing but weapons she had to master and history she had to remember, but stars she gazed upon each and every night when everything had become too much and she would go to the star terrace in order to be closer to the sky.

In order to be further away from the land and the shackles which kept those people contained to their own troubles. 

She had been doing that for some nights already, ever since she realized that place remained open at all times and barely any of the students knew they could visit it too. So it had become her haven, her safe space in the monastery, her own spot for contemplation that wasn’t a church, a library or a training room. 

And for the longest time she had been alone, only her and the wind spirits and the breeze which followed her rushed steps up the staircase and into the terrace, the stars which she had been trying to decode in order to feel more at home. The moon and its cycle, its changing tides and changing emotions.

However, on a particular night that had been marked by balmy winds as the weather had started warming up, she came to the terrace to find a silhouette already on it, shadows falling over the polished silver rock once a cloud passed over the crescent moon. 

Once the breeze gently moved it away and the figure turned to face Petra, her magenta eyes met the lilacs of none other than Edelgard von Hresvelg, princess to the Adrestian Empire. 

Petra’s demeanor relaxed and she smiled, especially when she noticed how tense the smaller girl got due to that fateful encounter. How her entire body screamed that she didn’t want company, nor that she wanted to impose or to be found there.

Not with so many emotions in her eyes, trailing down pale cheeks in the form of tears that she tried to conceal. No one could hide a river or the feelings which ran alongside it, that made up most of what it was. Petra knew better than to pry, to stay around when one needed respite and the blessing of loneliness in a world that begged for them to be with others--even more so given hers and Edelgard’s positions as princesses. 

Even more so given all the expectations which were placed on them without them having a say about those, on how they wanted their own lives to be like. 

Before Edelgard could move and try rushing away from a place that had offered Petra solace for so many nights, the taller girl gave a soft beam and shook her head, then turned back and made her way downstairs. Her heart was heavy but she had done her best to keep her eyes as soft as possible on that last moment in which she had regarded the other girl, the house leader that had always done her best to stand strong in the public eye.

It was a feeling that Petra knew, echoes of it resounding within her heart and hurting it with fresh gashes. She more than respected it and made a mental note to approach the star terrace with more care so she wouldn’t scare the other noble away. Though she was pretty sure Edelgard would be the one to no longer show up as it was, now that she knew that place was also favored by someone else in times of need.

Petra wouldn’t know it, but had she gone to the terrace the next few nights she would have seen Edelgard waiting for her there, a smile on her lips which would turn into a frown and a sigh as time passed and the other princess failed to appear once more. And when dawn broke, the lights on the sky painting her silvery hair orange and red, yellow and pink, she would turn around and go back to her room.

On her hands flowers withered, red carnations that had been plucked as a sign of truce and gratitude for the fact that Petra didn’t say anything at all about her tears and the ocean of feelings underneath her eyes.

During the day they spoke like always, Edelgard including Petra in discussions and drills, practicing against her after classes were done with and Professor Manuela had given them both a few pointers to train in order to better their form. Dorothea would often watch, enraptured for some reason or another, then jump to her feet once the two girls shook hands and called it a night. The former songstress would then pick up a hand from each and coo over them until both women blushed, before taking them away for a very pleasant dinner.

When tests crept closer the three started studying together, Dorothea and Edelgard more than happy to aid Petra with speaking even though her writing had been perfect for a long time. The two hugged Petra once they heard her tales about running away from the Gerth manor to spy on the sea.

Although the Brigidian princess said little and used few words to express herself, her voice and tone were enough to let them know how much she missed the ocean.

How much it had meant to her once upon a time when days had been warmer and her feet had enjoyed the softness of the sand instead of the harshness and coldness of rock.

Edelgard had glanced at Petra in a meaningful way on that night before they had gone to their own quarters--though that too proved to be the night in which they finally met in the star terrace after that first encounter.

And the fact that Dorothea had been there too made everything sweeter, kinder and lighter, a summer day in the middle of a cold, harsh winter. That had been another moment in which Petra had taken a full, deep breath, though by then she had already lost count of all the times that had happened. 

Ever since she had met those two girls and started spending her days in the light of their lilac and emerald eyes she had been breathing easier and it seemed like she was finding home little by little, smile by smile, word by word.

On that night when the three stood near the edge of the terrace, watched by the full moon and the myriad stars that had slowly become familiar to Petra, the three held hands in a circle of their own and shared fluttering, nervous kisses that turned warmer and more passionate as they reassured each other that it was ok. That the love that flowed through them and connected their hearts by an invisible thread was more than ok, and enough, and wholesome as it was.

* * *

Petra recalled the sunset, the way her, Edelgard and Dorothea had looked forward to the end of classes and the twilight that would paint them with all the colors of their love. How they would sneak to the terrace or each other’s rooms when they were sure no one was watching, though it hadn't taken long for the professors and fellow students to understand they were together.

Though they had made it clear that was the case by attending the Millenium Festival together and dancing as the polycule that they had been for a few months right then.

Those memories had kept the Brigidian princess going through one too many years, shreds of light that shone dimmer and dimmer as time went by and a war tore through her mind.

As time went by and a war tore through Fódlan itself, conviction and the future of an entire continent hanging on a balance and standing stale, though one could say that it felt like it was leaning in favor of Dimitri’s army, the professor and the entirety of the faith by his side. 

Not only that, but it seemed that they were going against the whole continent or something of the sorts. All who had decided that Emperor Edelgard was an heretic that should be stopped before the “natural order” could crumble and a new, scary future could come forth.

Once upon a time Petra had heard that there were people in Fódlan who used to watch the stars and look for signs of the days to come in the sky above. While Brigid had its own traditions when it came to fortune telling she realized on that overcast night that she too had been looking too much at the stars which had failed her. 

The stars in Edelgard’s lilac eyes had grown dim and died one too many years and battles ago. The ones in Dorothea’s irises had become tortured and shattered when the conflict at the Holy Tomb almost drove them apart, Petra and Dorothea seeking out their Edie once the battle was over and night fell. The moment Rhea called forth all students for a war council before the new Emperor could actually declare it.

On the dead of an equally cloudy night the two girls had creeped out of the monastery and managed to meet their lover, the princess who had captivated them so and touched their heart in a way neither of them had ever thought would happen. They had found her on the base of the mountains, Petra’s hand circling Edelgard’s arm before she could shy away and flee, the hurt and shock in those lavender eyes something similar to what she had seen on the star terrace some months ago.

Back then she had run and left the girl alone. On that moment she stayed, drew Dorothea closer and swore to be by Edelgard’s side the second they heard the terrible story of what had been done to her as a child.

Those were memories of the past, of warmer days that had carried Petra through five years of conflict, of war and death and too many changes that had come forth.

Right then her magenta eyes fell not on the ominous sky but over the line of sea she could distinguish from her vantage place at the tallest tower on the Enbarr palace. Leaning on the balcony rail and letting her mind and gaze wander, she wondered what would happen, what would come of them, of the battle that would soon start.

And if she should follow the orders that not their lover, but Emperor Edelgard had issued to both her and Dorothea a few minutes ago.

The words had been simple and harmless for a mere observant, maybe even an act of love and trust if one didn’t know Edelgard like Petra and Dorothea did. However, for the two women it had been a lot more than that. 

Edie's tone had been reluctant, her eyes lightless as they focused on a point beyond the windows, beyond the sky and the setting sun. She had had her back to her loves when she spoke, another sign of unease that made the Brigidian princess’s heart falter. 

Although she was a foreigner in those lands and many times words could still elude her, she could read the feelings and emotions which ebbed between the lines. The thoughts that remained concealed, hidden behind the shadows which twilight had cast upon Edelgard in the moment she opened her mouth and said, more to the courtyard than to the two behind her, “both of you shall lead the vanguard and stay as far away from the throne room as possible at all times.”

Dorothea had been the first to do a double take, flinching at the tone and the demand--how it was a direct order and not something up to discussion even though the three of them had always sworn to be equals. Equally important, equally valuable, equally loved. 

Not at that moment or so it had seemed, Petra mused as she sighed and the winds spirits answered with a kind breeze, one that failed to quiet her heart. If nothing it reminded her of home, of how her definition of home had changed over the years so that now, not even the sight of the sea or the gentle wind could calm her.

The sea had been her first home, the way it had offered comfort, fun and laughter with friends back in Brigid. Then after being uprooted from her place, she had found another home in Edelgard’s and Dorothea’s eyes, in their arms and the kisses they would share come nighttime back on their days as students. Even when war had broken out that had remained true and maybe even became stronger, the three seeking help and solace within each other.

Time and the constant lapping of dangerous, relentless waves of war had eroded that so that now Petra didn’t know anymore what home was or if she should even keep looking for one in any case. Soon the professor’s army would arrive at the Enbarr palace. Soon the war would be decided and yet the one concern in her mind was the look of regret and something like shame which had hung on Edelgard’s entire demeanor when she eventually turned to face her and Dorothea back at the study, gently advising them to rest.

Usually they would argue and linger, say they weren’t going anywhere without the smaller woman that also needed some respite and not to wear herself out like that anymore. This time they nodded and left, lips pressed on a thin line. Maybe it had been the harshness of Elle’s earlier words, the order that had placed her as superior instead of equal and the unwillingness to explain or talk, but neither Dorothea nor Petra saw any use in insisting and arguing.

The woman in front of them had already shut them out, locked her soul and heart away in a place that was unreachable, a dark star in the moonlit sky. And no amount of searching, of reaching and pleading would let them get to it, they knew.

They had known and had discussed it for the last few months too, addressing the matter with Edelgard a few times. However, it had been for naught--whenever the issue was brought up the Emperor would deny it, shake her head and look away, away into a future that seemed more and more unreachable at every day that passed, every battle that was lost, every life that was snuffed out.

Had those lives become stars in that sky that were unfamiliar once more? Petra didn’t know, her gaze restlessly passing from sea to sky line and finding comfort in neither. Underneath the palace and close to the horizon which tried to meld the two was the city of Enbarr, the smoke rising from here and there a telltale sign of the battle that had been fought and won in favor of the Kingdom forces which would be within them in a question of hours. She could imagine the ruins, the destruction one would find upon going there.

Was it anything like the ruins which had once been her heart?

Was the distant sea anything like the tears which remained trapped behind her eyes, especially when she heard steps coming from the room behind her and turned around to see an equally distressed Dorothea?

Was the gentle breeze anything like the sighs that escaped the songstress’s lips once they sat down on the balcony and hugged, huddling as close as they could and missing the warmth and passion that had been their third, their Edelgard?

As much as Petra knew it would be ok to cry, to talk instead of just listen as Dorothea spoke between sobs, between waves of emotion that disrupted words, she remained strong and still, warm and resolute. When she did speak there was hope in her chest, enough to solace Dorothea and let her know that it would be ok. That they would get to talk to Elle soon and figure out what they could do, what that distance meant and how they could move past that.

That everything would be fine as soon as the battle was over in their favor and Fódlan was allowed a better future, one engraved with the fact that they didn’t need to remain enslaved to religion and old beliefs anymore. That as soon as the darkness and the shadows were lifted from the continent the same would happen to their love and things would go back to the nicer, carefree days before there was a war.

And for those small minutes when they held each other Petra was also sure she felt something stir in her own heart, especially once she looked at Dorothea and saw the enchanting smile she loved so much gracing those lips once again. 

Yes, home would be found and soon, the princess decided as she beamed in response. She bridged the distance between them and graced the songstress with a slight kiss. 

The kiss lingered on their lips while hours passed and preparations were done. The two had gone back to the castle after there were no more tears on their cheeks and eyes, then got busy helping generals and soldiers alike get into position, put on armor and grab weapons that had been especially crafted for that occasion. Everything was a flurry of activity, people running and yelling around in order to make sure nothing was forgotten or overlooked. That no one was left behind, or that the ones who were unfit to fight got at least a hug, a kiss, a promise of return and a last lingering look.

Through it all two things didn’t go unnoticed by the women: one, that some of the mages weren’t wearing the usual Imperial colors, their outfits dark and gloomy as they moved around the palace with such an ease it would be tough to say they didn’t own the place. Two, that no one ever approached the throne room, or asked about the Emperor’s whereabouts. 

Finding it strange, Petra was about to turn to Dorothea and suggest they should go looking for their love when the songstress’s eyes locked on hers. They knew they were thinking the same thing, that maybe they shouldn’t just march into battle without even a look at the woman they had loved--no, that they loved to that day. That maybe leaving the study room like that hadn’t been the best way to deal with that situation, even though Elle’s eyes had been hooded and it didn’t seem like they would get any explanations. 

That perhaps embracing the smaller woman and making sure she knew they were there for her would have wielded some results or at least left them in a better position than the one they were in. 

It had been a mistake to leave right then, to obey the order without trying a bit more. It had been a mistake, just as it was when Petra left the star terrace on that night more than five years ago. 

They had time, they thought. They could go and barge into the throne room, where they supposed that Edelgard was, and talk to her before the opposing army even got to the palace gates. They _had_ to have time, they thought as they broke formation and abandoned the places they had been told to keep in the entrance hall, distressing some of the soldiers that directly answered to them. 

Their anxious, rushed steps echoed louder than the jittery, loud conversations held by armored people who expectantly waited for the battle of their lives. It called the attention of some of those mages, which Petra had a second to wonder why they seemed familiar, why they seemed to echo not something she had seen but heard described in a beloved voice. 

However that notion and their advances were halted by other generals screaming at them to get into position a second before a Fire spell flew through the air and missed everyone. It had been a warning and not a direct attack, but that was all the Imperial army needed to understand the time for talking, for hugging and solacing was over.

That the conflict to determine what would become of their beloved continent was about to begin.

Petra did her best to fight the heaviness in her chest, the grief in her heart. The enemies which showed up one after another in front and around her, Dorothea sending Thunders and Thorons from a vantage point behind her. It was the way they had battled ever since their days at the monastery, Petra’s deadly, fast sword technique a complete match to Dorothea’s powerful, precise spells. 

The only thing they were missing at that moment, something that for a few seconds took them off and almost resulted in them getting hit more than they should, was Edelgard’s imposing, grounding posture, her strong axe strikes a necessary element that they both longed for right then and there.

It was wrong without Elle. Their pacing was off, the rhythm of their hearts needing a third beat to make it even, to make it good. But then the entire endeavor was weird and completely uncharacteristic of their love--they had lost count of how many times they had had to tell her to listen to her generals and stay out of the front lines in the past. Never one to cower behind an army, it was entirely not like Edelgard to do so in a battle that meant so much for her. 

Nor was it like her to send her loves away, knowing the three of them had always fought better when they were together.

“Petra, I really don’t like this,” Dorothea mumbled once their eyes locked, electricity painfully tingling her fingertips and palm as it always did after she released Thorons.

The man she had attacked groaned in pain, lying on the space between the two women. Upon closer inspection she recognized him as Felix and huffed, slightly triumphant at the thought that she had stopped him from harming her darling Petra as he had meant to do. 

A swift slash of the other woman’s sword, the attack more a dance move than anything else, was all it took to get the man out of his misery.

“Yes, this isn’t nothing like the Elle we know,” Petra whispered back, eyes narrowed at the scenario in front of them.

Soldiers in red and black tried their best to ward off those in blue and silver, both sides with equally fierce frowns on their faces, brave screams that sometimes distorted and contorted with pain clashing around silver walls that soon became splayed with crimson. The silver of weapons blended with the orange of Fires, the yellow of Thunders, the white of Abraxas and Seraphins, then eventually the purples of Bohr Xs and Dark Spikes T once the weird mages that had hung at the outskirts of the main battle decided to join it after all.

“We have the upper hand in here,” the former songstress went on, dispatching a simple Fire spell to deal with a Kingdom knight who almost hit one of their generals. Her statement was mostly true; the opposing army considerably halted after Felix was taken down and if one looked at numbers alone it did feel like the Imperial forces were successfully defending their own.

“I love Edelgard, but I do not want to follow that order,” Petra nodded, contemplating how bad it would be if they were to do what was undoubtedly in their minds at that second. Yes, it was dangerous because their victory was more of a temporary one than anything else--many important fighters were nowhere to be seen at that moment in time. “We should not be letting her stand alone.”

Those words made Dorothea’s eyes widen, Petra’s heart thudding faster in response to them too. The three of them had gone through a lot on their own already; suffering and loneliness had fed the belief that they would never love or be loved by another. In times of conflict and stress it was easy to fall back to that, to think it was actually the truth and everything else had been nothing but a dream.

In times such as those they should do their best to defeat those thoughts and to stand together, to remind each other that they were humans, that they were valuable and loved.

They needed no prompt, no distraction or command to move as one, their hearts guiding them to where their love was. Hiding behind pillars and turning back once or twice to help their soldiers from time to time, Dorothea and Petra dashed through the battlefield, through lines of people that were lying in wait for ambushes and almost took them for enemy forces. Their steps pushed against the stony floor, the concern at their partner’s behavior as of late and everything they had been through, the weight in her words once the order had been issued. 

Against doubt and fear, an ominous premonition that came from their joined hearts and warned them of what they would see once they pushed open the doors of the throne room and found it occupied by more strange mages and weird fighters in front of the throne itself.

Standing behind them and over the raised platform was…

“Elle?” Petra called once distorted, saddened red eyes met her magenta ones, the emotions which crossed them just as real and palpable as they used to do when those irises had been lilac. 

When they had shone with summer, with love, with sweet promises thrown around darkened monastery rooms, with kisses stolen between bookshelves in the library or an empty classroom during break. 

The figure that bore that pained glance still had some resemblance to their love on the edges of her face and the whites of her hair. Everything else was new and changed; the long, powerful limbs, elongated and deadly claws, dark armor which surrounded her torso and legs, the wings that adorned her back and reminded Petra of crescent moons.

It made them gasp and halt, their reactions visible and making Edelgard avert her eyes, hands closing into angry fists. Her discomfort and anger, the regret which lined her features and her demeanor right then and there were echoed in her voice, in the sentences which tried to harm their hearts.

“I told you to stay away! You are not needed here.”

Those words were stronger than the battle cries they could hear from the outside, clearer than the clatter of weapons and their heartbeats thudding against their ears. Yet their minds were set, their gazes no longer afraid after one moment of hesitation. And so, Dorothea and Petra turned to look at her, at the one who was still their love no matter what had been done to her.

Those sad, helpless, hopeless crimson irises shone lavender for a brief second, the same way they had one too many nights ago back in the monastery. One too many nights ago, when the then Imperial princess had been pale and small against the starlit sky and Petra had walked in on her with tears in her eyes.

The same tears fell down Edelgard’s cheeks right then, the shame of being seen like that combining with the surprise she felt at the fact that slowly her loves were going her way. Each step was calm and resolute in order to not scare her, the lines of soldiers parting to let them through. Their derisive grins let them know they expected a messy fallout or some name calling, something aggressive to mock the already fallen Emperor. 

What they didn’t expect was what occured next, as Petra and Dorothea covered the last few meters between the three of them and looked up at the creature that was still the girl they had fallen in love with.

Their Edelgard, their Edie, their Elle. The girl who had withstood a lot and then raised her voice against the church. The woman who had fought for a better future for those who would come next, a time where there would be no privileges, no titles, no shackles because of belief and crests.

No need for one to disguise themself in order to fit into a set of rules, beliefs and cultural expectations that did not and would never fit every single, important and valuable soul to ever draw breath in Fódlan. 

“No, Edie,” Dorothea spoke first, her voice a gentle whisper whereas Edelgard had almost yelled. Maybe it was the tone, or just being called by the old pet name that she adored, that she had adored from moment one, but something about her posture already shifted after those two words. “We’ll be here with you.”

“We are belonging together, the three of us.” Petra edged forward, gently offering her hand as a silent question. Once she saw that Edelgard wouldn’t move away she gradually took hold of a long black claw and cradled it between both of her palms. “We love you, Elle.”

“We love you and we’ll always love you, no matter what.”

Dorothea’s voice enveloped them with all the love and care that had always been between the three of them. It dispelled the anger, the doubt, the guilt which had taken them over for the last few days, weeks and months which had seen them drifting apart because of a secret operation, a last-ditch effort that could very well cost Edelgard’s life in one way or the other. 

There was no time for apologies yet they were whispered all the same. Tears fell from emerald, magenta and crimson eyes, painting a new river in the rocky soil that saw them fall, an ocean that was unfamiliar but became home once more in the few minutes of respite that Dorothea, Petra and Edelgard had. 

They had heard the sounds of footsteps drawing near, the cheers and destruction that had accompanied them in a choir. They had seen the signs of destruction, of the fact that the Imperial army was crumbling little by little at every passing second. They had known in a way that the end was near, that they would stand together against the coming army and the ideals they defended.

Once the door to the throne room burst open with a powerful spell their faces were set, weapons drawn. Dorothea, Petra and Edelgard had already exchanged one last glance full of tenderness, of the knowledge that they had been and would always be each other’s home. Now they watched as Dimitri and Byleth entered the room, weapons at the ready and shining golden against the dark of the room. 

That wasn’t a light that offered hope, though the end was swift and clean. In the darkness that gradually took over the three fallen warriors they saw emerald, magenta and lilac swirling together in a rivulet of color that kept them company until the world around them was no more.

That night when the Kingdom claimed victory and raised their banners on the palace of Enbarr the sea was restless, waves churning and crashing, calling to a moon that had been lost. Calling to the stars that were hidden behind clouds as rain fell, a different storm that lasted for days, uninterrupted. Calling to the wind that mounted in melodious wails until it had no choice but to whisper of the love and the light it had witnessed once more in those three girls' hearts. 

**Author's Note:**

> Writing Doropetragard through different routes has been tons of fun even though they kinda get... Not really happy endings so far xD 
> 
> I hope you guys have enjoyed this and I'm sorry for the angst ahskjskaka have a great week!


End file.
